Ex-official found guilty in Lamma disaster case

Eight children were among the 39 people who died in the Lamma ferry disaster. File photo: RTHK

Mavis Wong reports

A retired Marine Department ship inspector has been found guilty of perjury after being accused of making false statements to an inquiry into the 2012 Lamma ferry disaster.

Wong Kam-ching had claimed that he had counted 12 children's life jackets on the Lamma IV ferry during a safety inspection five months before its deadly collision – as required by local regulations.

However, the inquiry that ended in 2014 heard from crew members that the ferry never had any children's life vests. Eight children were among the 39 people who died in the disaster. The inquiry said the absence of children's life vests played a role in the loss of life.

District Court Judge Timothy Casewell also criticised Wong for amending his statement several times throughout the case.